moments
DESTINATIONS CALIFORNIA | FAMILY HOLIDAYS
w
alking through the gates of Disneyland
Park onto Main Street USA is supposed to make you feel like a little kid again – but for me, the memories were even stronger. Thirty years ago, almost to the day, I got my first taste of Disney as a seven-year-old on a family holiday to California. And walking back under
that archway to find Minnie Mouse posing for photos and a barbershop quartet doo-wopping in front of a 1950s-style shop facade, I was delighted to discover it was exactly as I had remembered. That’s not to say there’s nothing new to be found at the Anaheim park. As it gears up to celebrate 70 years since its opening on July 17, 1955, there are plenty of new attractions to get excited about – along with a host of developments to look forward to in Paris, Florida, on Disney cruise ships and beyond. One of those, announced
at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event this summer, features an animatronic figure of the park’s eponymous founder. Walt
Disney – A Magical Life will recreate what it might have been like to pop into Walt’s office when it opens in the Main Street Opera House next year. It’s a fitting reminder that the magic of Disney is timeless, set at the heart of where it all began nearly 70 years ago.
DISNEY CLASSICS The story goes that when Walt himself visited the Swiss Alps, he sent back a postcard of the mighty Matterhorn with one simple instruction on the back: ‘Build this’. And so the park’s first rollercoaster, twin bobsled tracks twisting and turning around a majestic mountain track complete with a scary yeti along the way, was born. The Matterhorn is still going
strong and remains a part of the Anaheim skyline, visible from beyond the city bounds. It’s renowned for being a little less slick than some of the more recently built rollercoasters, with shock absorbers and modern technology to ease the way, but it’s still an exciting ride. Sadly Space Mountain – another family favourite ²
travelweekly.co.uk
24 OCTOBER 2024
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